


The Emperor

by swanfrost



Series: tarot (tokyo ghoul week) [5]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Gen, i'm a sucker for hidekane, they're precious ok, this was me trying to fill up the 'emperor' prompt so it's kind of off at points
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-03-16
Packaged: 2018-03-18 05:40:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3558155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swanfrost/pseuds/swanfrost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"those where the days of happiness, days where nothing could ever go wrong, days where the shadows were monster-free and the nights- instead of nightmares, were filled with stars."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Emperor

**Author's Note:**

> Day 5: Emperor/King  
> [favorite male character(s); authority; foundation; emperor; king; brother

“Come on, Kaneki!”

The little five year old boy raised his head, hands clutching tightly at a slim book. Before he could blink, his vision became filled with gold.

“Hide-kun?”

An outstretched hand appeared before him, and suddenly, Nagachika Hideyoshi was crouched in front of him, cheeks dusty from the windblown dirt, grinning from ear to ear. Messy yellow hair stuck out light hay at odd angles, but the child didn’t seem to care; his jeans were faded and his little grey sweatshirt stained. But again, the boy didn’t seem to care.

In that moment, Kaneki Ken thought his best friend looked like a king.

With a smile that almost matched Hide’s, Kaneki shyly tucked his book away, and reached out. Impatient, the blond haired boy shot out his hand and clamped down on Kaneki’s wrist.

“Hurry up!” he said, laughter shining in his eyes. “You’re so slow!”

The words came out in an excited tumble, in a joy so evident in children. Soon, they broke into a run, Hide leading with a wild, confident grin while Kaneki followed with a shaky, somewhat nervous but happy smile.

Those where the days of happiness, days where nothing could ever go wrong, days where the shadows were monster-free and the nights- instead of nightmares, were filled with stars.

\- - - - -

With a whooping laugh, eight year old Hideyoshi takes off in a cloud of dust, sprinting with all his might up the big, curved, playground slide. Thundering up the slide, the boy lets out a cheer as he reaches the top, clambering up and striking a heroic pose.

“Kaneki! Kaneki! Did you see that? Did you see my awesomeness?” Hide yells excitedly, beaming.

Sitting on a nearby bench, Kaneki claps respectfully, seemingly disinterested, but Hide has known the boy long enough to see the joy and happiness in his eyes. _Good job,_ they say. Hide stands proudly, basking in the praise of his best friend. As he stands there, had raised, chest puffed out, satisfied grin stretching out from ear to ear, sunlight bounding off his small frame, Kaneki, looking up in admiration, realizes something important.

Hide, the boy who, honestly, looked quite silly strutting like a man who’d just conquered the world, may as well be the best person he’d ever met. And, Kaneki decides right then and there, with beautiful five year old logic, that he’d follow Hide for the rest of his life, wherever he might go, whatever he might do.

\- - - - -

The black haired boy sits quietly in the corner of the classroom, nose buried deep into a book. At the quaint age of ten, he is quiet and withdrawn, but always kind and polite. His teacher nod in appreciation at his grades and his integrity, but wince a little at his social skills. Except for his teachers, nobody really takes notice of this quiet boy in the corner, save for one.

“KANEKI!”

All of a sudden, the classroom door is flung open, and to the students in the room, it seems as if a great ball of fire and sunshine has burst into the room. The boy sitting silently in the back of the room flinches slightly, lowing his book with a soft, almost embarrassed smile. In a flash, one Nagachika Hideyoshi is in front of him, brown eyes dancing with amusement. With a wicked grin, the energetic boy slams his hands down on Kaneki’s desk. Yelping in surprise, Kaneki jumps, a faint blush dusting his cheeks.

“Hide-“ he manages to squeak out.

But Hide doesn’t let him finish, and without another word, takes him by the arm and drags him off, spouting something about _quit being a loner_ and _get some sun_. As the duo leaves the room, and the classroom door slams shut, the other students can only look around in a mild confusion and surprise.

In the hallway, Kaneki tugs on his friend’s arm, wincing slightly at the tight grip on his own wrists. But before he can speak, he is pulled out a door way, into sunshine and warmth. Temporarily blinded from the glare of the sun, Kaneki squeezes his eyes shut reflexively.

“Come on, Kaneki!” Hide’s voice reaches his hears. “Open your eyes!”

Slowly, shyly, the boy opens his eyes. In front of him, outlined in a halo of glowing sunlight stands Hide, uniform rustling in the small wind, a big, friendly grin stretching across his face. Nestled in his hands is Kaneki’s lunchbox, which he had swiped before leaving the classroom.

“W-what?” the black haired boy asked, confused.

In response, Hide grinned even wider. “Your lunch, dummy,” he teased, throwing a friendly arm around Kaneki’s shoulders. “You gotta stop staying inside so much! Go outside! Breathe fresh air!”

As the two boys made their way to a pair of benches on the roof, Hide added an afterthought.

“You might grow wrinkled and crooked, just like Ms. Teri.”

Ms. Teri was an old lady who lived on the end of Kaneki’s street. Whenever the children saw her, hunched over and hobbling down the road with a walking cane gripped tightly in a bony hand, they’d shy away, quickly gathering up their playthings and ducking off the main road.

Kaneki shudders, taking the offered bento from the boy next to him. Relaxed, the two boys ate in silence. A cool breeze passes through, and, on a whim. Ten year old Kaneki tilted his head back to observe the sky. Above him, spreading out towards the horizon was a vast expanse of pale blue. Noticing his gaze, Hide tips his head back too.

“Pretty, huh?” the golden-haired boy muses with a serious expression etched onto his face. A comfortable silence stretched between the two. Then, he speaks again.

“Hey Kaneki…what if I told you I wanted to conquer the world?”

At first, Kaneki is quiet, as if lost in thought. Then, he breaks out into a mile and laughs softly, although not in a demeaning way.

“Hide-kun,” he says, turning his head to face the other. Their eyes meet and they hold for a brief second. “Honestly, I don’t think that would be possible.”

“Humph!” In mock anger, Hide turns away, sticking his little ten year old nose into the air.

What he doesn’t hear is Kaneki’s unspoken thoughts.

_I think, if you did happen to conquer the world, you’d make a great emperor._

\- - - - -

Just as the years slowly trickle by and the seasons turn through endless cycles of freeze and thaw, so too do humans age. With each new year comes another year’s worth of memories, of experiences, of knowledge - the foundation for another year.

On his fifteenth birthday, a snowy December morning, Kaneki decides that he’d pass the day curled up in his blankets, reading a book and drinking tea. However, his best friend is having none of that.

At eleven am, just as Kaneki finishes preparing tea and is about to head to his bedroom, the doorbell rings.

The boy freezes, wondering who would be at his door in this weather- it is snowing lightly, and some roads have already been iced over.

The doorbell rings again, four or five times in quick succession, as if the person on the other side was impatient or in a hurry, or just really excited. With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, Kaneki sets down his canteen of tea and opens to door to a chilly blast of winter wind. Standing in his doorway, cheeks pink from cold, is Hide. Just as Kaneki is about to ask, Hide cuts in.

“Kaneki! I bet you’re going to spend your birthday holed up in your room AGAIN. How dreary!” Saying so, he lets himself in to the warm house, shutting the door behind him.

Turning to the boy who currently wears a half-amused, half-exasperated expression, he continued, “So, I will make it my mission to make sure you have the awesomest birthday ever today!”

“Hide, ‘awesomest’ isn’t even a word.”

Ignoring Kaneki’s comment, Hide leans forward and plucks the rather large book out of Kaneki’s hands. “Get dressed and let’s get out of this stuffy room,” he says, grinning.

Now fifteen, Kaneki has been putting up with Hide’s antics for almost ten years now; he’s grown used to the exuberant outbursts, and simply pushes the boy away with a roll of his eyes.

“Hide, I appreciate it, but - “

“No, no, and no!” Hide crows, placing a finger on his lips in a gesture of silence.

“You have absolutely no say in this,” he proclaims, hands on his hips. “Now, get dressed! It’s cold outside-perfect for some fresh air.”

Even as Kaneki feebly protests, he is pushed into his closet with orders to look for a winter coat and a warm scarf.

“No arguments!” Hide yells as he shoves a warmly dressed Kaneki out the door.

As Kaneki steps out into a white world, his breath catches. Hide, who had darted forward to lead the way down the stairs, glances back and grins his trademark smile.

All around him, think flakes of snow tumble through the air, white ice settling on the boy’s broad shoulders and melting in his golden hair.

“What’re you waiting for?” he calls out. Only then does Kaneki realize he is still standing by the doorway, while Hide is already halfway down the stairs, waving.

As he makes his way down the rusty staircase, metal clanging with every step, Kaneki thinks fondly, _what would I do without you?_

\- - - -

_Who cares about that anymore…let’s just go home._

Nineteen year old Kaneki Ken, hair the color of ice and face covered in a hooked mask, is slumped forward, skin stained with sewer water and soul as weary as a wandering samurai’s.

Right next to him is Hide, close enough that Kaneki can feel the warmth of the other’s body and the comforting touch of his hand.

Hide, his support, his foundation, his sanity. Hide, who has always been there for him, is here now, in his darkest moments.

 _There is only one way out of the abyss_.

Unconsciously, Kaneki leans into the warm (human, he thinks) body, as if craving a friendly touch.

 _Sorry_ , Hide whispers, and Kaneki’s heart breaks at his best friend’s pained filled voice. _But, can you fight with all you’ve got…just one more time?_

Already, Kaneki can feel his support, his sanity, his brother - not blood, but the bond is stronger than a bond of blood -, slipping away.

His king.

The odd thought flits across his mind for a brief moment before the world falls to darkness.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Next: Death  
> [the five stages of death: denial; anger; bargaining; depression; acceptance]
> 
> as always, your thoughts are appreciated!


End file.
